Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record transport with head stationary during transducing – Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-29
2003-01-07
Tupper, Robert S. (Department: 2652)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record transport with head stationary during transducing
Tape record
Reexamination Certificate
active
06504671
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording medium library apparatus such as a magnetic tape library apparatus, a magneto-optical (MO) library apparatus, an optical (CD, or a like) library apparatus and a like, and more particularly to an improvement in a recording medium loading/unloading mechanism mounted on a carrier of the recording medium library apparatus.
The present application claims the Convention Priority of Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-337550 filed on November 29,1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a magnetic tape cartridge loading/unloading mechanism, there have been conventionaly known two types of mechanisms. One is of a pickup-hand type, and an other is of a roller/belt type. A mechanism of the pickup-hand type uses a pickup hand to pick up and transfer a magnetic tape cartridge among a cartridge storage portion, a read/write portion and a carrier. On an other hand, a mechanism of the roller/belt type uses a roller and a transfer belt to transfer the magnetic tape cartridge among the cartridge storage portion, the read/write portion and the carrier.
Now, problems to be solved by the present invention will be described with reference to
FIGS. 9A and 9B
, wherein:
FIG. 9A
shows a side view of a first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
provided with a carrier having a tape cartridge loading/unloading mechanism in which the pickup hand is used; and,
FIG. 9B
shows a plan view of the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
shown in
FIG. 9A
, illustrating the pickup hand used in the tape cartridge- loading/unloading mechanism of the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
.
This first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
is constructed of: a cartridge storage portion
102
for storing a plurality of magnetic tape cartridges
101
therein; a read/write portion
103
for reading/writing data from/to a magnetic tape of a desired one of the magnetic tape cartridges
101
; and, a carrier
104
which is reciprocally moved between the cartridge storage portion
102
and the read/write portion
103
to receive and deliver the desired one of the magnetic tape cartridges
101
.
As shown in
FIG. 9A
, in the cartridge storage portion
102
, a plurality of cells each of which contains each of the magnetic tape cartridges
101
therein are packed together vertically in a stack. Disposed over this stack of the plurality of cells is the read/write portion
103
which is fixedly mounted in the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
.
On the other hand, the carrier
104
is movably mounted in the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
in a manner such that the carrier
104
is slidably moved up and down by means of a suitable elevator mechanism (not shown) along a pair of guide rods
105
and freely transferred between: its uppermost position corresponding to an uppermost one of the plurality of cells in the cartridge storage portion
102
; and, its lowermost position corresponding to a lowermost one of the plurality of cells in the cartridge storage portion
102
.
As shown in
FIG. 9B
, the carrier
104
is provided with a pickup hand
106
which serves as the tape cartridge loading/unloading mechanism.
In an unloading (retrieving) operation of the magnetic tape cartridge
101
from the cartridge- storage portion
102
or from the read/write portion
103
, the above-mentioned elevator mechanism (not shown) vertically drives the carrier
104
to a target position
10
corresponding to a desired one of the magnetic tape cartridges
101
received in the cartridge storage portion
102
or received in the read/write portion
103
. After that, the pickup hand
106
is moved right as viewed in
FIG. 9B
to have a pair of front end pawls
108
of its arms
107
catch an end portion of the desired magnetic tape cartridge
101
. Under such circumstances, the pickup hand
106
is then moved back left as viewed in
FIG. 9B
to unload or retrieve the magnetic tape cartridge
101
from the cartridge storage portion
102
or from the read/write portion
103
. A thus retrieved cartridge
101
is temporarily disposed and held stationary in the carrier
104
.
On the other hand, in loading the thus retrieved cartridge
101
of the carrier
104
into the cartridge storage portion
102
or into the read/write portion
103
, the magnetic tape cartridge
101
is moved to the right (as viewed in
FIG. 9B
) while being caught in a space between the pawls
108
of the pickup hand
106
, so that the magnetic tape cartridge
101
is positively inserted (loaded) into the cartridge storage portion
102
or into the read/write portion
103
by means of the pickup hand
106
.
The first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
having the above construction is advantageous in that it may perform the loading/unloading operation of the magnetic tape cartridge
101
without fail using the pickup hand
106
. However, the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
is disadvantageous in that the loading/unloading operation of the magnetic tape cartridge
101
is so limited as to be performed only in one of the opposite-side portions of the carrier
104
, for example such as a right side area of the carrier
104
as viewed in FIG.
9
B. As a result, it is necessary for the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
to have the cartridge storage portion
102
and the read/write portion
103
vertically stacked together in the right side area of the carrier
104
as viewed in FIG.
9
B. This can be a problem in a case where the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
is required to reduce its height in its design process.
Further, since it is necessary for the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
to have the pickup hand
106
to be disposed on an extension line of a loading/unloading path of the magnetic tape cartridge
101
, an entire length of the carrier
104
is equal to at least a sum of an entire length of the magnetic tape cartridge
101
and a length of the pickup hand
106
, as shown in FIG.
9
B. This makes it difficult to reduce in size the carrier
104
.
On the other hand,
FIG. 10A
shows a side view of a second conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
109
, illustrating a carrier
110
provided with a tape cartridge loading/unloading mechanism in which two rows of rollers
111
serve as a means for transferring the magnetic tape cartridge
101
.
FIG. 10B
shows a plan view of the second conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
109
shown in
FIG. 10A
, illustrating the carrier
110
provided with the tape cartridge loading/unloading mechanism in which the two rows of the rollers
111
serve as the means for transferring the magnetic tape cartridge
101
.
As is in the first conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
100
shown in
FIGS. 9A and 9B
, the second conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
109
shown in
FIGS. 10A and 10B
is also provided with: the cartridge storage portion
102
for storing the magnetic tape cartridge
101
therein; the read/write portion
103
for reading/writing data from/to the magnetic tape of the magnetic tape cartridge
101
; and, the carrier
110
which is reciprocally moved between the cartridge storage portion
102
and the read/write portion
103
to receive and deliver the magnetic tape cartridge
101
. The carrier
110
is movably mounted in the second conventional magnetic tape library apparatus
109
in a manner such that the carrier
110
is slidably moved up and down by means of a suitable elevator mechanism along the pair of the guide rods
105
and freely transferred between: its uppermost position corresponding to the uppermost one of the plurality of cells in the cartridge storage portion
102
; and, its lowermost position corresponding to the lowermost one of the plurality of cells in the cartridge storage portion
102
.
As shown in
FIG. 10
, the carrier
Tupper Robert S.
Watko Julie Anne
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