Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information... – Including threading
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-05
2002-04-30
Rivera, William A. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Unwinding and rewinding a machine convertible information...
Including threading
C242S332100, C360S095000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06378796
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for decoupling a hub filler from a guide arm that drives the hub filler from a single reel tape cartridge to a take-up reel of a tape drive.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Single reel tape cartridges are used to transport and store tape for reel-to-reel tape drives. A single reel tape cartridge is inserted into a tape drive and a mechanism is used to load the end of the tape into a take-up reel from the tape cartridge. Once the end of the tape is loaded into the take-up reel, the tape drive operates as a reel-to-reel tape drive. A motor is coupled to the take-up reel to rotate the take-up reel about the take-up reel axis and another motor is coupled to the single reel tape cartridge to rotate the reel of the tape cartridge about its axis.
The tape drive loading mechanism attaches to a tape leader pin, located at the end of the tape contained in the single reel tape cartridge. The hub filler uses a slot in the hub filler for receiving the tape leader pin. The hub filler is coupled to a guide arm that drives the hub filler between the single reel tape cartridge and the take-up reel. An example of a mechanism for driving the hub filler between the tape cartridge and the take-up reel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,839.
FIG. 1
is a view of the tape drive loading mechanism disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,034,839. The hub filler
300
enters into the cartridge
210
and attaches to the end of the tape. The hub filler
300
then moves along a guide rail
247
, driven by the guide arm
250
. Typically, the hub filler
300
attaches to the end of a tape in the tape cartridge
210
and the guide arm
250
moves the hub filler
300
along the guide rail
247
, trailing the tape across the read/write head
222
and into the take-up reel
242
. The hub filler
300
enters the take-up reel
245
through a channel
244
and into the hub
245
of the take-up reel
242
.
FIG. 2
is a top view of the tape drive, depicting the hub filler
300
in the take-up reel
242
with the tape
216
attached. The tape
216
passes across the read/write head
222
and the end of the tape
216
is secured to the take-up reel
242
. The tape drive is then operated by rotation of the take-up reel
242
and the single reel of the cartridge
210
about their respective axes to move the tape
216
across the read/write head
222
. Motors are used to rotate the take-up reel
242
and the single reel of the cartridge
210
, controlling the speed of the tape
216
as it moves across the read/write head
222
. The hub filler
300
pivots on an axle
252
that is coupled to the guide arm
250
. This pivoting is necessary for the hub filler
300
to be guided on the guide rail
247
into the take-up reel
242
. Once the hub filler
300
is in the take-up reel
242
, with the tape
216
attached, the take-up reel
242
rotates to thereby unload the tape from the cartridge
210
. The hub filler
300
rotates with the take-up reel
242
on the axle
252
. The loading mechanism attempts to align the axle
252
axis and the take-up reel
242
axis perfectly.
There are some concerns regarding the conventional tape drive loading mechanism described above. Perfectly aligning the hub filler's axle axis and the take-up reel axis is very difficult to do, due to mechanical tolerances. Misalignment can cause minor imbalances during rotation of the take-up reel; these minor imbalances can create small speed variations in the tape wind and unwind speeds. These variations in speed are difficult for the motors of the take-up reel and cartridge reel to compensate for. Hence, the variations in speed deter from the quality of the reading and writing of the tape at the read/write head. Additionally, misalignment of the hub filler axis and the take-up reel axis reduce the life of the bearings in the take-up reel. Worn bearings will produce vibrations and result in noise during recording and reading at the read/write head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is a need for a tape drive loading mechanism that can effectively load the end of a tape from a single reel tape cartridge to a take-up reel without the vibrations or variations of the rotation speed at the take-up reel.
These and other needs are met by embodiments of the present invention, which provide a method of de-coupling a hub filler from a guide arm. The present invention eliminates the need for the take-up reel axis and the hub filler axis to be precisely aligned when the hub filler attaches to the take-up reel. The tape loading mechanism of the present invention de-couples the hub filler from the guide arm as the hub filler enters the take-up reel. As the hub filler rotates with the take-up reel, during reading and writing of a tape, the hub filler is not restrained by the axle coupled to the guide arm.
There are several advantages of the present invention. The present invention eliminates the need for the hub filler axis and the take-up reel axis to be precisely aligned as the hub filler attaches to the take-up reel. The present invention eliminates minor imbalances during rotation of the take-up reel that create small speed variations in the tape wind and unwind speeds, resulting from the misalignment of the hub filler axis and the take-up reel axis. Another advantage of the present invention is that the bearings are not damaged due to the misalignment of the hub filler axis and the take-up reel axis. Worn bearings produce vibrations that cause noise in the read/write head during reading and writing of the tape. Yet another advantage of the present invention is that the hub filler can de-couple from the guide arm and still maintain the spring-loaded characteristic during leader pin attachment and during travel between the cartridge and the take-up reel. The above-listed advantages are examples, and not exclusive.
The foregoing and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4335858 (1982-06-01), Cranna
patent: 4426047 (1984-01-01), Richard et al.
patent: 4608614 (1986-08-01), Rinkleib et al.
patent: 4679747 (1987-07-01), Smith
patent: 4704645 (1987-11-01), Murphy et al.
patent: 4742407 (1988-05-01), Smith et al.
patent: 4828201 (1989-05-01), Smith
patent: 4832284 (1989-05-01), Inoue
patent: 4852825 (1989-08-01), McGee et al.
patent: 5219129 (1993-06-01), Spicer et al.
patent: 6034839 (2000-03-01), Hamming
Hamming John Anthony
Heinze Robert Ralph
McDermott & Will & Emery
Rivera William A.
Seagate Technology LLC
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