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:
Apr. 13, 2004
Filed:
Feb. 14, 2002
Nobuhiro Tsurumaki, Kanagawa, JP;
Keiji Tadokoro, Kanagawa, JP;
Masato Yokota, Kanagawa, JP;
Toru Yumine, Kanagawa, JP;
Sony Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A cassette library ( ) is provided with a driving apparatus ( ), cassette housing shelves ( ) and a cassette carrier ( ). A library controller ( ) simulates as if driving apparatuses ( ) having continuous address numbers were apparently used in the host computer ( ) even when physically discontinuous address numbers are allocated to the driving apparatus ( ), thereby making it possible to set occupancy for a driving apparatus with an arbitrary address number. The library controller ( ) has the cassette carrier ( ) automatically carry, at a preset timing, a cleaning cassette from the cassette housing shelf ( ) to the driving apparatus ( ) to clean a recording reproduction head of the driving apparatus ( ) using the cleaning cassette which is then carried back to the housing section in the original cassette housing shelf ( ) after the cleaning work.