Arthur F Fry

US Patent:

60116692, Jan 4, 2000

Filed:

Apr 27, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/067595

Inventors:

James Lee Apple - Boulder CO
Paul Kummli - Boulder CO
Arthur Francis Fry - Westminster CO

Assignee:

Storage Technology Corporation - Louisville CO

International Classification:

G11B 1568

US Classification:

360 92

Abstract:

The pass thru mechanism serves to interconnect two juxtaposed automated cartridge library systems and provides an apparatus to obviate the need for complex alignment compensation mechanisms or precise alignment between the juxtaposed automated cartridge library systems. An alignment platform is located at each end of the pass thru mechanism and a repositioning assembly is located midway between the two ends of the pass thru mechanism. The alignment platforms are typically located entirely within the confines of the housing of the automated cartridge library systems and the repositioning assembly is either completely external to the housing of the automated cartridge library systems or only partially included therein. The operation of the alignment platforms and the repositioning assembly are decoupled in that there is no physical connection among these elements or interaction among these elements. A transport belt is provided to be the unifying element in that it picks a magnetic tape cartridge from a first alignment platform, then delivers the magnetic tape cartridge to the repositioning assembly which performs the cartridge rotation function, then places the rotated cartridge on the second alignment platform for access by the second robot mechanism.