Material or article handling – Plural – static structures for supporting discrete loads and... – Load-underlying members
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-15
2003-02-11
Werner, Frank E. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Plural, static structures for supporting discrete loads and...
Load-underlying members
C360S092100, C414S277000, C414S282000, C369S034010
Reexamination Certificate
active
06517305
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape library having a plurality of cells containing tapes which can be accessed at any time for reading and writing data, and more particularly to an accessor device for accessing such tapes.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
of the accompanying drawings shows a conventional tape library
51
comprising a plurality of joined housings. In
FIG. 1
, the tape library
51
is viewed from above with an inner mechanism being made visible. In the tape library
51
, the housings
53
,
56
house therein respective linearly symmetrical accessor devices
54
,
57
each having a hand mechanism
55
for accessing mediums (tapes). The accessor devices
54
,
57
are movable along a single guide rail
58
disposed centrally in the tape library
51
for accessing cells
52
containing mediums and a drive (not shown).
The accessor device
54
has an accessor base
54
-
10
in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped, and has two rollers
54
-
21
,
54
-
22
mounted on a side surface thereof and spaced from each other by a pitch i.
The accessor device
57
has an accessor base
57
-
10
in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped that is in a linearly symmetrical relationship to the accessor device
54
, and has two rollers
57
-
21
,
57
-
22
mounted on a side surface thereof and spaced from each other by a pitch j.
The two accessor devices
54
,
57
are movable bidirectionally on the guide rail
58
.
In
FIG. 1
, the accessor devices
54
,
57
are shown as retracted and stopped in the respective housings
53
,
56
. Cells
52
-
1
,
52
-
2
are endmost cells
52
that can be accessed by the hand mechanisms
55
of the accessor devices
54
,
57
.
When one of the accessor devices
54
,
57
suffers trouble and is unable to access the cells, operation of the tape library
51
is controlled in the same manner as with the present invention.
It is assumed that the accessor device
57
suffers trouble and is retracted and stopped. Due to the trouble, the accessor device
57
is unstable to access the cells
52
or the non-illustrated drive, and is stopped in a retracted area in the housing
56
.
At this time, the other accessor device
54
moves a distance k, is spaced a distance m from the retracted and stopped accessor device
57
, and accesses the cell
52
-
2
, and completes its operation.
The conventional tape library
51
has had the following problems:
The first problem is that it is difficult to prevent the accessor devices
54
,
57
from falling in the direction in which they move.
The reason for the first problem is that since the two accessor devices
54
,
57
move on the single guide rail
58
with the two rollers
54
-
21
,
54
-
22
(
57
-
21
,
57
-
22
), the pitch or distance between the two rollers
54
-
21
,
54
-
22
(
57
-
21
,
57
-
22
) cannot be increased.
The second problem is that the number of cells
52
accessible by both the two accessor devices
54
,
57
is small.
The reason for the second problem is that because the accessor bases
54
-
10
,
57
-
10
of the accessor devices
54
,
57
are in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped and are mounted in a linearly symmetrical relationship to each other, the accessor bases
54
-
10
,
57
-
10
cannot be brought closely to each other as they fail to overlap each other when moved toward each other.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an accessor device which is prevented from falling and can access an increased area in a tape library.
To accomplish the above object, there is provided in accordance with the present invention an accessor device for a tape library having a plurality of cells housing mediums and two guide rails extending parallel to each other along the cells, comprising two accessor bases mounted for movement along the guide rails, and two hand mechanisms mounted respectively on the accessor bases for accessing the mediums, the accessor bases having on confronting portions thereof respective overlapping edges which can overlap each other in a direction normal to the longitudinal direction of the guide rails.
Each of the accessor bases may has a pair of first rollers held in rolling engagement with one of the guide rails, and a second roller held in rolling engagement with the other of the guide rails.
Each of the accessor bases may be substantially of a triangular shaving having a first side extending along the guide rails, a second side having an end joined to an end of the first side substantially perpendicularly to the first side, and a third side interconnecting other ends of the first and second sides, the overlapping edges comprising the respective third sides confronting each other when the accessor bases overlap each other in the direction normal to the longitudinal direction of the guide rails.
Each of the accessor bases may has a pair of first rollers mounted on the first side respective at opposite ends thereof, and a second roller disposed at a junction between the second side and the third side.
Each of the hand mechanisms may be mounted on the second side of one of the accessor bases.
The third side of each of the accessor bases may be of a crank shape.
Each of the accessor bases may has an actuating mechanism for moving each of the accessor bases, the actuating mechanism being mounted on the second side.
Each of the accessor bases may has a lifting and lowering mechanism for lifting and lowering each of the hand mechanisms, the lifting and lowering mechanism being mounted on the second side.
The accessor device according to the present invention offers two major advantages as follows:
According to the first advantage, while each of the accessor bases is of a relatively large size, the number of cells that can be accessed alternately by the two accessor bases is increased.
The reason for the first advantage is that the overlapping edge of each of the accessor bases is defined as if cut from an accessor base blank, and when the accessor bases move toward each other, the accessor bases overlap each other in the direction normal to the longitudinal direction of the guide rails. The accessor bases create an overlapping region, and hence can efficiently utilize a space for being positionable closely to each other.
According to the second advantage, the accessor device is prevented from falling.
The reason for the second advantage is that the accessor bases are mounted on the two guide rails. Two rollers, which are spaced from each other by a large pitch, on each of the accessor bases are mounted on one of the guide rails to prevent the accessor device from falling along the guide rails, and one roller on each of the accessor bases is mounted on the other guide rail to prevent the accessor device from falling across the guide rails.
The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate an example of the present invention.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3993202 (1976-11-01), Neitzel
patent: 4573856 (1986-03-01), Meyer et al.
patent: 4687110 (1987-08-01), Partanen
patent: 4937690 (1990-06-01), Yamashita et al.
patent: 7-085553 (1995-03-01), None
patent: 8-221866 (1996-08-01), None
Foley & Lardner
Werner Frank E.
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