Material or article handling – Plural – static structures for supporting discrete loads and... – Load-underlying members
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-13
2001-10-30
Keenan, James W. (Department: 3652)
Material or article handling
Plural, static structures for supporting discrete loads and...
Load-underlying members
C901S008000, C700S228000, C360S098050
Reexamination Certificate
active
06309162
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to data storage systems for handling and storing data storage media devices such as data cartridges, and more particularly to a data storage system having redundant media handling assemblies.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Data storage in the computer industry is accomplished in a number of ways. For example, data may be stored on various data storage media devices such as tapes, compact disks, “floppy” or “hard” disks, and the like. Oftentimes, data storage media which is transferrable from one location to another is housed within a parallelepiped-shaped cartridge. It is to be understood that the term “cartridge” or “data cartridge” as used in the present application encompasses any data storage media device, whether or not it is housed within a cartridge.
Data storage systems are used to store data cartridges at known locations and to retrieve desired cartridges so that data may be written to or read from the cartridges. A typical data storage system may include different types of cartridge receiving devices. For example, one type of cartridge receiving device is a cartridge storage rack or “magazine” which has a plurality of individual cartridge storage locations. Another type of cartridge receiving device is a cartridge read/write device or “drive”. A data storage system may also include a cartridge handling assembly for retrieving data cartridges and translating them among cartridge receiving devices (e.g., from a cartridge storage location to a drive and vice-versa).
Data storage systems may be produced in a variety of sizes and configurations. One type of data storage system has a guide track extending along the length of a central vertical shaft. A single data cartridge handling assembly or “picker” assembly is vertically displaceable along the track and is adapted to move data cartridges between cartridge receiving devices positioned adjacent to the central vertical shaft in vertically stacked layers or tiers. In some storage systems of this type all components are provided in a single housing unit. In other storage systems of this type a plurality of modular housing units are stacked one on top of the other to provide a compound housing assembly. In a compound housing assembly each modular housing unit contains a portion of the vertical shaft and one or more of the tiers of cartridge receiving devices of the data storage system. Such an assembly of modular units is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/137,350 filed Aug. 20, 1998 for MODULAR DATA STORAGE SYSTEM of Joseph M. White, Matthias Lester, and Dave Jones abandoned, which is hereby incorporated for all that it discloses. An advantage of an integral data storage system having multiple vertically stacked tiers accessible by a single picker assembly over systems having multiple independent single tier units, each with its own picker assembly, is that it obviates the need to coordinate the operation of multiple systems. Also, unnecessary duplication of certain system components, such as drives and pickers, is avoided. However one disadvantage of a unitary system having a single picker assembly is that a failure of the picker assembly causes loss of access to all of the media in the storage system until the picker is repaired or replaced. It would be generally desirable to provide a data storage system having multiple vertically stacked tiers accessible by a single picker assembly with a subsystem which would automatically replace a nonoperating picker assembly with an operating picker assembly so that the user's access to data stored in the system is not interrupted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a data storage system for handling and storing data storage media. The system ordinarily uses a single main media picker assembly to move media between media receiving devices positioned along a picker displacement path. If the main picker assembly fails it is automatically removed from a portion of the path associated with media access and is replaced by a “fall back”/“back up”/“redundant” picker assembly which continues operation of the data storage system without significant interruption.
Thus the invention may comprise a data storage system comprising: a housing assembly having a first end and a second end and having an open shaft extending between said first end and said second end and comprising: a first housing unit having a first portion of said open shaft extending therethrough, said first unit being positioned proximate said first end of said housing assembly; a second housing unit having a second portion of said open shaft extending therethrough, said second unit being positioned proximate said second end of said housing assembly; at least a third housing unit having a third portion of said open shaft extending therethrough having a plurality of data media receiving devices mounted therein, said third housing unit being disposed between said first and second housing units; a first media handling assembly displaceably positioned within said open shaft; and a second media handling assembly displaceably positioned within said open shaft.
The invention may also comprise a data storage system comprising: a media picker displacement path having a first end and a second end; a first media picker assembly mounted in the picker displacement path; a second media picker assembly mounted in the picker displacement path; a plurality of data storage media access locations located along the picker displacement path; the first media picker assembly being displaceable along the path from the first end to a point of interfering contact with the second media picker assembly; the second media picker assembly being displaceable along the path from the second end to a point of interfering contact with the first media picker assembly.
The invention may also comprise a method of operating a data storage library comprising: moving data storage media between media holding positions located along a one-picker-at-a-time picker displacement path with a first media picker assembly until the first media picker assembly malfunctions; after it malfunctions moving the first picker assembly to a first end of the picker displacement path; maintaining a second media picker assembly at a stationary position at a second end portion of the picker displacement path until the first picker assembly malfunctions; after the first picker assembly malfunctions moving data storage media between media holding positions located along the picker displacement path with the second picker assembly.
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Sep. 6, 2000, English Language Search Report from Corresponding EPO Application 00 12 2949 indicating degree of relevance found by EPO for DE 19517661.
IBM Technical Disclosure Bulletin, “Moving Rack Automated Library For Removable Data Storage Media”, vol. 36 No.09A, Sep. 1993, p. 119-120.
Hewlett--Packard Company
Keenan James W.
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