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Claims  |
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What is claimed is:
1. In an apparatus for storing and retrieving diverse media-containing
cartridges, first and second types of said cartridges respectively
containing recording media having different physical and data recording
characteristics so as to be incompatible such that one media drive does
not access both of said first and second types of media, including, in
combination:
a plurality of like-sized media-cartridge storing bins, each bin having a
predetermined plurality of cartridge receiving and storing slots, a
plurality of said media-containing cartridges in said bins;
cabinet means having a first open side;
cartridge storage array means disposed in the cabinet means adjacent said
first open side and having first and second oppositely facing open sides,
a plurality of like-size bin receptacles in said cabinet means, each said
bin having a cartridge access opening at both said first and second open
sides for removably receiving respective ones of said cartridges;
an openable door on said first side of the cabinet means for closing the
first side for preventing access to said receptacles;
door sensing means on one of said means and disposed in juxtaposition to
said openable door for sensing and indicating whether the openable door is
closed or open;
bin sensing means disposed in each of said receptacles adjacent said second
open side of the array means for sensing and indicating the presence or
absence of a bin in the respective receptacle;
a plurality of cartridge-receiving devices in the cabinet means, each said
device having a cartridge receiver opening, a first one of said devices
being capable of receiving and operating only with a first type of media
cartridge having a first cartridge outline, a second one of said devices
being capable of receiving and operating only with a second type of media
cartridge having a second cartridge outline, said first and second
cartridge outlines having different physical dimensions;
cartridge transport means having stationary support means mounted in said
cabinet means and cartridge carrier means movably mounted on said
stationary support means for accessing any one of said receptacles and
said plurality of cartridge-receiving devices for transporting either of
said first and second types of media cartridges between said receptacles
and said respective cartridge receiver of said first and second devices,
respectively; and
control means having bin indicating means for indicating which of said bins
in said receptacles contain said first and second types of media
cartridges, said control means connected to both said sensing means for
responding to their respective indications to enable the cartridge
transport means to transfer cartridges to and from said bins only if said
door sensing means indicates said door is closed, said control means being
further responsive for transporting cartridges to and from said bins
containing either said first and second type of media cartridges
respectively for said first and second one of said devices.
2. In the apparatus set forth in claim 1 further including, in combination:
control radiation means in said control means and being disposed in
juxtaposition in said cabinet means to said transport means for sending
and receiving airborne signals; and
transport radiation means on said transport means and being in
communication with said control radiation means for sending and receiving
airborne signals to and from said control radiation means for transferring
signals with the control means whereby a control cable between the
transport means and the control means is not required.
3. In the apparatus set forth in claim 1 further including, in combination:
said first one of said devices being an optical disk device and said second
one of said devices being a magnetic tape record device;
said first type of media cartridges respectively containing an optical disk
data-storing medium operable with said optical disk device, said second
type of media cartridges containing a magnetic tape record medium operable
with said magnetic tape record device; and
said cartridge carrier means having adjustable cartridge holding means
having first and second holding positions, said first and second holding
positions respectively for enabling said cartridge carrier means to
receive and hold the carrier means to releasably hold said first and
second types of said media cartridges.
4. In the apparatus set forth in claim 3 further including, in combination:
one of said receptacles receiving and storing an input-output bin for
enabling single cartridges to be inserted into the apparatus and exited
from the apparatus, said input-output bin having input and output
cartridge slots each said slot having an opening to said cartridge
transport means to a predetermined one of said openable doors; and
said predetermined one of said openable doors having an access opening for
enabling access to said input-output bin input and output slots.
5. In the apparatus set forth in claim 4 further including, in combination:
said control means including means for controlling inserting cartridges
into and ejecting cartridges from said apparatus through any of said
removable cartridge storing bins in any of said receptacles in the
apparatus by removing any one of said plurality of removable cartridge
storing bins.
6. In the apparatus set forth in claim 3 further including, in combination:
a first bar code label on each of said bins and facing said transport
means; and
each said first bar code label on said bins uniquely identifying the
respective bins,
7. In the apparatus set forth in claim 6 further including, in combination:
a second bar code label on each of said bins and being disposed on the
respective bin for facing in a direction opposite to said first bar code
label such that each bin is identified from either of two directions.
8. In the apparatus set forth in claim 6 further including, in combination:
means operative with each of said cartridges for recording a volume serial
number (VOLSER) on data storage medium contained in each said cartridge;
and
said bar code label including an indication of said VOLSER.
9. In the apparatus set forth in claim 6 further including, in combination:
a second bar code label on each of said cartridges; and
each said second bar code label facing said transport system while the
cartridge to which said second bar code label is affixed resides in a
predetermined one of said bins inserted into one of said receptacles.
10. In the apparatus set forth in claim 1 further including, in
combination:
affinity means in the control means for identifying a plurality of affinity
groups wherein members of each said affinity group have a predetermined
affinity for all members in each of said affinity groups, respectively and
assigning means in the affinity means for assigning predetermined ones of
said cartridges to one of said plurality of affinity groups;
each of said predetermined cartridges in respective ones of said affinity
groups being in a bin having cartridges in said respective affinity
groups, any bin having cartridges that are members of an affinity group is
an affinity bin; and
said affinity means retaining said predetermined cartridges in said
respective bins whenever said predetermined cartridges are not in one of
said devices.
11. In the apparatus set forth in claim 10 further including, in
combination:
one of said affinity groups having cartridges of both said first and second
types of cartridges; and
one or more of said affinity bins storing cartridges belonging to said one
affinity group.
12. In the apparatus set forth in claim 10 further including, in
combination:
one of said affinity bins storing cartridges from a plurality of said
affinity groups as well as storing a cartridge that is not a member of any
affinity group.
13. In the apparatus set forth in claim 10 further including, in
combination:
a plurality of said affinity bins storing cartridges that are members of
one affinity group.
14. In the apparatus set forth in claim 10 further including, in
combination:
a plurality of doors in said system, each of said doors, if opened provide
manual access to predetermined ones of said receptacles for inserting or
removing any one of said predetermined ones of said bins;
electrically actuated door locks respectively locking said doors and said
door locks being electrically connected to said control means for being
unlocked to permit opening the doors; and
affinity protect means in said control means and being connected to said
door locks and operative to keep the door locks locked until all
cartridges of a predetermined affinity group that are manually accessible
through said doors are stored in said predetermined ones of said bins that
are affinity bins.
15. In the apparatus set forth in claim 14 further including, in
combination:
said affinity protect means having means preventing ejection from said
apparatus of any given cartridge that is a member of one affinity group so
long as any cartridge in said one affinity group is not stored in an
affinity bin storing cartridges that are members of said one affinity
group.
16. In the apparatus set forth in claim 15 further including, in
combination:
one of said bins in a given one of said receptacles being an input-output
bin; and
said affinity protect means enabling ejection from said apparatus of said
given cartridge through said input-output bin without requiring all
cartridges that are members of said one affinity group to be stored in the
affinity bin that stores said given cartridges.
17. The apparatus set forth in claim 15, including, in combination:
cartridge assign means in said control means for assigning predetermined
ones of said cartridges to one of said affinity bins for storage therein
that are not members of any of said affinity groups, said assigned
predetermined ones of said cartridges being free cartridges; and
said affinity protect means having free means connected to for enabling
ejection from said apparatus of said one affinity bin that is assigned to
store predetermined ones of said free cartridges that are not currently
stored in said one affinity bin.
18. In the apparatus set forth in claim 17 further including, in
combination:
said control means having free cartridge reassign means responsive to said
affinity protect means for reassigning and moving cartridges not a member
of said one affinity group to another bin before enabling manual access to
the affinity bin storing said given cartridge.
19. In the apparatus set forth in claim 15 further including, in
combination:
command receiving means in the control means for indicating whether or not
a command has requested manual access to a predetermined one of said bins;
and
command interpreting means in the control means and being connected to said
command receiving means and to the bin indicating means to indicate manual
access is authorized to said predetermined one of said bins and sending
said indication to said affinity protect means to inhibit or permit
actuating said electrically actuated door locks for permitting said manual
access.
20. In the apparatus set forth in claim 15 further including, in
combination:
cartridge present sensors in predetermined ones of said bins for indicating
whether or not a cartridge is present or not in each slot of said
predetermined ones of said bins;
cartridge present responding means in said control means being connected to
said cartridge present sensors for responding to a change in cartridge
present indication for interrupting operation of said control means; and
said control means being responsive to said interruption to actuate said
transport means to audit said predetermined one of said bins to validate
said change indication.
21. In the apparatus set forth in claim 20 further including, in
combination:
one of said predetermined ones of said bins being an input-output bin
having a first number of input-output slots for insertion and removal of
cartridges to and from the apparatus; and
first predetermined ones of said cartridge sensors being in respective ones
of said input-output slots.
22. In the apparatus set forth in claim 21 further including, in
combination:
second predetermined ones of said cartridge sensors being in bins other
than said input-output bin; and
multiplex means electrically interposed between said second predetermine
ones of said cartridge sensors and said control means.
23. In the apparatus set forth in claim 1 further including, in
combination:
a bar code label on each of said bins;
a transportable bar code reader in said transport means;
a battery in said bar code reader for powering same as it is transported;
radiation communication means in said control means and in said
transportable bar code reader for transferring data between said bar code
reader and said control means;
said control means actuating the transport means cartridge carrier means to
carry said bar code reader to an addressed one of said bins and to scan
the bar code label on said addressed one of said bins and for receiving a
scanned bar code label value from said bar code reader via said radiation
communication means.
24. In the apparatus set forth in claim 23 further including, in
combination:
an first infrared (IR) transceiver in said radiation communication means
mounted adjacent one end of said stationary support means;
a second infrared (IR) transceiver in said radiation communication means
mounted on said bar code reader; and
said first and second IR transceivers being in a radiation communicating
relationship for transferring data signal by an IR beam as said bar code
reader is carried by said cartridge carrier means.
25. In the apparatus set forth in claim 23 further including, in
combination:
a first infrared (IR) transceiver in said radiation communication means
mounted adjacent one end of said stationary support means;
a second infrared (IR) transceiver in said radiation communication means
mounted on said cartridge carrier means; and
said first and second IR transceivers being in a radiation communicating
relationship for transferring data signal by an IR beam for establishing a
communication link between said control means and said transport means.
26. In the apparatus set forth in claim 23 further including, in
combination:
said carrier means having a cartridge receiver for carrying predetermined
ones of said cartridges; and
said bar code reader being receivable into said cartridge receiver for
being transported to any of said bins.
27. In the apparatus set forth in claim 1 further including, in
combination:
retentive store means in the control means;
a cartridge table retentively stored in said store means and including
identifications of each cartridge being stored, each bin present in
respective ones of the receptacles, bar code label values, and locations
of each cartridge stored in any of said bins;
other tables in said retentive store for indicating predetermined status
and configuration of the apparatus;
said retentive store being a random access static memory having retentive
data storage characteristics
a first microprocessor in said control means having a random access memory,
program means and being connected to all of said means and to the
retentive store for creating and maintaining said tables;
electrical door lock means in said cabinet means for locking said openable
door(s);
said first microprocessor being connected to said door lock means for
actuating the door lock means to lock and unlock said door(s) for
controlling manual access to said receptacles;
said bin sensing means upon sensing a bin being inserted into or removed
from a receptacle sending an interrupt signal to said first
microprocessor;
said first microprocessor responding to said interrupt signal to update
said cartridge table to indicate the inserted or removed bin change in
status; and
said first microprocessor unlocking and locking the door(s) for enabling
said insertion and removal of a bin from a receptacle.
28. In the apparatus set forth in claim 27 further including, in
combination:
each said media-containing cartridge having a data storage medium and a
VOLSER recorded on its medium;
said first microprocessor, upon receiving said interrupt signal determines
that a bin has been inserted into one of said receptacles, sequencing said
transport means to serially remove all cartridges from said inserted bin
for transporting same to one of said cartridge-receiving devices,
respectively;
said first microprocessor actuating said cartridge-receiving devices having
received one of said cartridges of said inserted bin to read the VOLSER of
said received cartridges and storing said VOLSER's in said cartridge
table.
29. In the apparatus set forth in claim 27 further including, in
combination:
each ones of a first type of said media-containing cartridges having an
optical data storage medium therein;
each ones of a second type of said media-containing cartridges having a
magnetic data storage medium therein;
first and second ones of said devices for respectively reading and
recording on optical and magnetic data storage media and being
respectively adapted to removable receive said first and second types of
media-containing cartridges from said cartridge transport means;
one of said other tables being a device table having an address of the
device for being accessed by said cartridge transport means, and an
indication of the type of media-containing cartridge with which each
device is adapted to receive; and
said first microprocessor accessing said device table for determining which
of said devices is to removably receive said inserted cartridges.
30. In the apparatus set forth in claim 29 further including, in
combination:
said first microprocessor having means for establishing a new media type
including means for adding a new entry into said device table for
indicating said new media type and for identifying on of said
cartridge-receiving devices for said new media type; and
said first microprocessor commanding said transport means to fetch one of
said new media type cartridges for transporting same to said identified
one of said cartridge-receiving devices for testing whether or not said
identified device ca read signals recorded on said new media type
cartridge.
31. In the apparatus set forth in claim 30 further including, in
combination:
said first microprocessor having means for deleting a given media type from
said apparatus, including means for deleting an existing entry from said
device table for removing all indications of said given media type; and
said first microprocessor having means for testing said deletion by
commanding said transport means to insert a cartridge into one of said
cartridge-receiving devices for reading said deleted media, if said device
table indicates a device capable of reading the deleted media type, then
indicating an error in said device table.
32. In the apparatus set forth in claim 27 further including, in
combination:
said first microprocessor having means indicating that predetermined
cartridges stored in a given one of said bins in said apparatus are to
swapped for other cartridges;
said first microprocessor actuating said electrical door lock means to
unlock said door;
said bin sensing means indicating successive removal and insertion of bins
from and to a predetermined one of said receptacles;
said first microprocessor actuating said transport means and one of said
cartridge-receiving devices to serially remove and return cartridges from
and to a bin in said predetermined one of said receptacles;
said first microprocessor actuating said one cartridge-receiving device to
identify the serially removed and returned cartridges and to send the
identification to said first microprocessor means; and
said first microprocessor changing said cartridge table to indicate the
identification of said serially removed and returned cartridges.
33. In the apparatus set forth in claim 27 further including, in
combination:
one of said bins in one of said receptacles being an input-output bin
having one or more input-output slots, each input-output slot having an
internal access facing said transport means and an external access facing
away from said transport means;
a cartridge sensor in each of said input-output slots for detecting an
insertion or removal of a cartridge into of from each of said one or more
input-output slots through said external access;
said first microprocessor responding to said cartridge sensor in the
input-output bin to fetch any inserted cartridge and transport same to one
of said cartridge-receiving devices;
said first microprocessor having means for actuating said one cartridge
receiving device to sense said inserted cartridge for any identifications
and to supply said sensed identifications to said first microprocessors;
and
said first microprocessor assigning a slot in one of said bins for
removably receiving said inserted cartridge and for updating the cartridge
table for indicating said assignment.
34. In the apparatus set forth in claim 27 further including, in
combination:
ones of said cartridges in said apparatus having a bar code label with bar
coding identifying the cartridge including a volume serial number (VOLSER)
and a medium in the cartridge storing said VOLSER internally to the
cartridge;
a bar code reader in said transport means;
said first microprocessor having means for commanding said transporting
means to carry said bar code reader to a given one of said cartridges
stored in a bin in the apparatus and to activate said bar code reader to
scan and read said bar code label on said given the cartridge and to
supply said scanned VOLSER to said first microprocessor;
said first microprocessor having means for actuating the transport means to
carry the given one cartridge to one of said cartridge-receiving devices
and to actuate said one cartridge-receiving device for reading said medium
for obtaining said VOLSER stored internally of said cartridge and for
supplying the read internally-stored VOLSER to the first microprocessor;
and
said first microprocessor comparing the bar code VOLSER with the cartridge
internal VOLSER, if the comparison indicates a difference between said bar
code and internal VOLSER's, then indicating an error condition, otherwise
updating the cartridge table by storing said given one cartridge VOLSER in
said cartridge table.
35. In the apparatus set forth in claim 27 further including, in
combination:
said first microprocessor having means for indicating that given ones of
said cartridges in a given one of said bins are to be removed from the
apparatus;
said first microprocessor having means responsive to said removal
indication to unlock said door(s);
said bin sensing means detecting removal and return of said given bin from
and to a receptacle storing said given bin and indicating said removal and
return to said first microprocessor as a removal indication;
said first microprocessor responding to said removal indication to actuate
said transport means to access said given bin for verifying said removal;
and
said first microprocessor responding to said verifying to delete
indications of said given ones of said cartridges from said cartridge
table.
36. In the apparatus set forth in claim 27 further including, in
combination:
said first microprocessor having status means for recording in said
cartridge table a status indicator for each of said slots in any bin in
said apparatus;
said status means having affinity means for indicating an affinity
cartridges is stored in a given cartridge receiving slot by recording an A
status in said cartridge table or that said given cartridge-receiving slot
is reserved for an affinity cartridge by storing an R status in said
cartridge table;
said status means having free means for indicating a free or non-affinity
cartridge is stored in a predetermined cartridge receiving slot by storing
an O indication in the cartridge table or that said predetermined slot is
empty and can store a free cartridge by storing an E status in said
cartridge table; and
said microprocessor having means for preventing storing a non-affinity
cartridge in any slot having an R status and for enabling storing any
cartridge in a slot indicated by said E status.
37. In the apparatus set forth in claim 36 further including, in
combination:
said microprocessor having means for establishing said cartridge table for
creating a maximum number of slot indications for each and every one of
said bins;
predetermined ones of said bins having given number of slots wherein the
number of slots is smaller than said maximum number of slots; and
said status means assigning one of said A, R, E or O status to said given
number of slot indications for each of said predetermined ones of said
bins and inserting a V (vacant) indication in each of said slot
indications not assigned to said predetermined ones of said bins,
respectively.
38. In the apparatus set forth in claim 36 further including, in
combination:
affinity means in the control means for respectively assigning
predetermined ones of said cartridges as said affinity cartridges to given
ones of a plurality of affinity groups;
each of said affinity cartridges in respective ones of said affinity groups
being in a bin having cartridges in said respective affinity groups; and
said affinity means connected to said cartridge table for being responsive
to said A status for retaining said predetermined cartridges in said
respective bins whenever said predetermined cartridges are not in one of
said devices.
39. In the apparatus set forth in claim 38 further including, in
combination:
said control means having free cartridge assignment means for assigning any
of said free cartridges only to ones of said slots having said E status.
40. In the apparatus set forth in claim 39 further including, in
combination:
one of said other tables being a slot offset table; and
said slot offset table having an entry for each of said bins in said
receptacles, respectively;
each of said entries indicating a physical address of said bin and a slot
offset value for indicating a physical location of each of each slots in a
bin indicated by the respective entries of said slot offset table; and
said control means having means for accessing any slot in any bin in the
apparatus by calculating a slot address using said slot offset table and
said cartridge table, said cartridge table indicating which slot of each
bin storing each of said cartridges.
41. In the apparatus set forth in claim 1 further including, in
combination:
a bar code label on each of said bins;
a transportable bar code reader removably stationarily mounted in said
transport means;
a battery in said bar code reader for powering the bar code read as it is
transported;
radiation communication means in said control means and in said
transportable bar code reader for transferring data between said bar code
reader and said control means;
said control means actuating the transport means cartridge carrier means to
access said bar code reader to releasably mount the bar code reader in
said cartridge carrier means to carry said bar code reader to an addressed
one of said bins and to scan the bar code label on said addressed one of
said bins and for receiving a scanned bar code label value from said bar
code reader via said radiation communication means.
42. In a data-storage apparatus for storing and retrieving data storing
media, including, in combination:
cartridge storage means having support means for removably receiving a
plurality of cartridge storing modules, each said module having a
plurality of cartridge-receiving slots, each slot having first and second
oppositely facing openings, said first and second openings facing
respectively in first and second opposite directions, such that
data-storing cartridges may be inserted into or removed from the slots
through either of said openings;
a plurality of first and second types of data-storing cartridges
respectively containing first and second types of media and stored in
respective predetermined ones of said slots, said first type of media
being incompatible with said second type of media such that said first and
second types of media require diverse media playing devices for
transferring signals to and from said first and second types of media,
respectively;
first and second types of data device means each said data device means
having cartridge receiving means with an opening facing said first
oppositely facing direction for removably respectively receiving said
first and second types of said cartridge into said first and second types
of data device means for accessing data stored in said first and second
types of said cartridges, said first and second types of data device means
not capable of respectively accessing data stored in said second and first
types of data cartridges;
transport means facing the first slot openings in said cartridge storing
modules and having a cartridge carrier positionable in a predetermined
cartridge exchanging relationship to said slots and to said cartridge
receiving means opening for transferring said first and second types of
said cartridges between said slots and said cartridge receiving means
opening respectively in said first and second types of data device means;
control means in said data storage apparatus for indicating storage of
cartridges in said slots and being connected to said first and second
types of said data device means and said transport means for controlling
insertion and removal of said cartridges to and from said first and second
types of data device means and said slots.
43. In the apparatus set forth in claim 42 further including, in
combination:
affinity means in the control means for identifying a plurality of affinity
groups wherein members of each said affinity group have a predetermined
affinity for all members in each of said affinity groups, respectively and
assigning means in the affinity means for assigning predetermined ones of
said cartridges to one of a plurality of affinity groups;
said affinity means assigning each of said predetermined cartridges in
respective ones of said affinity groups to a module storing cartridges in
said respective affinity groups, any said module having cartridges that
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