Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval – Record copying – Contact transfer
Reexamination Certificate
1994-07-11
2001-05-29
Sniezek, Andrew L. (Department: 2651)
Dynamic magnetic information storage or retrieval
Record copying
Contact transfer
C360S059000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06239929
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to magnetic tape duplication and, in particular, to a machine capable of simultaneous high-speed duplication and cassette loading.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the production of magnetic-tape cassettes, such as video cassettes, heretofore, two separate types of equipment have been utilized: tape duplication machines and separate cassette loading machines. In terms of duplication, such machines fall into two categories, conventional “real-time” duplication and “high-speed” duplication. With the former, an unrecorded or blank cassette is recorded using either a professional or consumer-type video cassette recorder at a speed no faster than that which would be used to view the tape. With high-speed duplication, on the other hand, a transfer process is used to copy the magnetically encoded pattern from the master directly to the copy tape at speeds much faster than would be used for viewing. Of the high-speed transfer processes available, the anhysteretic and thermo-magnetic processes are the most common.
As for cassette loading, with real-time duplication, the cassettes are loaded before duplication. When high-speed duplication is used, however a separate machine is required to accept copy tape collected on large “pancakes” and to load sections of this tape into blank cassettes. Such machines are capable of detecting the unrecorded spaces between the programs on the bulk reels, and then separating them into individual finished cassettes.
Although there has never been a single machine which performs both high speed duplication and cassette loading, many efficiencies could be realized if these two operations were to be combined, including more efficient material handling, reduced labor and increased ability to accommodate potential order mixes.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention combines a high-speed magnetic-tape duplicator and a cassette loader in a single machine. Half-inch, 8-mm and audio tapes, and VHS cassettes, may be used. The duplicator may rely on either the anhysteretic process or the thermo-magnetic process to transfer a magnetically encoded pattern present on a master tape to a copy tape, and includes direct-contact heat-transfer processes. The invention includes a master tape transport mechanism operative to guide the master tape to and from the duplication facilities and a copy tape transport mechanism to guide copy tape to and from the duplicator. A cassette loading station is operative to receive copy tape during the transfer process and to load this copy tape into a cassette.
The master tape transport mechanism may function either in a shuttle mode; that is, fed from a supply reel onto a take-up reel during tape copying and rewound between transfer operations, or, alternatively, in a bin-loop mode, wherein the master tape is stored as a continuous loop in a supply bin until required for the transfer process.
The machine accepts copy tape on large pancake type reels. In the preferred embodiment, there are two such reels, and a splicing mechanism used to swap reels when one has been emptied. Also in the preferred embodiment, a copy tape take-up reel is used to collect excess copy tape prior to the start of cassette duplication on a new pancake of copy tape; a second splicer mechanism is used to cut the copy tape and splice it onto a supply-reel leader provided within the blank cassette. Once loaded, the cassette may be ejected, such as onto a conveyor belt, and a new blank cassette introduced and staged for the next loading operation.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a single master tape is threaded past a plurality of transfer heads, each head being fed with copy tape from a separate supply reel, and each copy tape having the magnetically encoded pattern from the master transferred thereupon, and feeding a separate cassette loading station. In all embodiments, means are included to clean and regulate the tension of both the master tape and any copy tapes provided. Also, the machine allows copy tape to move directly from a supply reel and into the cassette loading station without engaging the duplicator. In this way, the machine may be used simply as a cassette loader, drawing blank or previously recorded tape from pancakes and into cassettes without duplicating.
Other advantages and applications of the present invention will be made clear by the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention. The description makes reference to the accompanying drawings.
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High tree Media Corp. Brochure “Highstress Media Redefines High-Speed VHS Duplication” Aug. 1993.
Hightree Media Corp. Brochure “Hightree Media Redefines High-Speed VHS Duplication” 8/93.
Gifford Krass Groh Sprinkle Anderson & Citkowski PC
Sniezek Andrew L.
Videa, LLC
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