Magnetic-tape storage apparatus

A magnetic-tape storage apparatus comprising

• a housing;
• a cartridge storage part provided in the housing to store a plurality of cartridges respectively having a wound magnetic tape and a memory chip which can be read contactlessly;
• a magnetic tape drive provided in the housing to perform reading, writing and rewinding of each magnetic tape of the cartridges;
• a cartridge transfer device provided in the housing to selectively transfer each of the cartridges stored in the cartridge storage part to the magnetic tape drive and to return the transferred cartridge to an original position;
• a cartridge data reading device disposed on the cartridge transfer device to selectively and contactlessly read data retained in each memory chip of the cartridges stored in the cartridge storage part;
• and
• a controller provided to the housing to control the magnetic tape drive and the cartridge transfer device so that a cartridge requiring rewriting is found based on the data read by the cartridge data reading device, and that a magnetic tape of the found cartridge is rewound;
• wherein each memory chip of the cartridges retains a rewinding history of the corresponding cartridge;
• wherein the magnetic tape drive has functions to perform checking errors of each of the magnetic tapes and to retain each error check history into each memory chip of the cartridges in which each of the magnetic tapes checked regarding errors is retained;
• wherein the cartridge data reading device selectively and contactlessly reads the error check history retained in each memory chip of the cartridges;
• wherein the controller has a rewriting stage discriminator discriminating that an error rate included in the error check history read by the cartridge data reading device exceeds a predetermined threshold and outputting discrimination information;
• wherein at least two pieces of the magnetic tape drive are provided in the housing;
• wherein a rewrite controller for controlling the cartridge transfer device and said at least two pieces of magnetic tape drive is provided in the controller so that a cartridge holding a magnetic tape of which an error check history exceeds a predetermined threshold is mounted to one of the magnetic tape drives based on the information of the rewriting stage discriminator, that an unused cartridge previously stored in the housing is mounted to another magnetic tape drive, and that the data of the magnetic tape read by said one of the magnetic tape drives are written into a magnetic tape of the unused cartridge mounted to said another magnetic tape drive;
• and
• wherein the rewrite controller retains the data retained in a memory chip of the cartridge holding the magnetic tape of which the error check history exceeds the predetermined threshold into a memory chip of the unused cartridge as information of the former generation, by using said one of the magnetic tape drives and said another magnetic tape drive.

A magnetic-tape storage apparatus comprising

• a housing;
• a cartridge storage part provided in the housing to store a plurality of cartridges respectively having a wound magnetic tape and a memory chip which can be read contactlessly;
• a magnetic tape drive provided in the housing to perform reading, writing and rewinding of each magnetic tape of the cartridges;
• a cartridge transfer device provided in the housing to selectively transfer each of the cartridges stored in the cartridge storage part to the magnetic tape drive and to return the transferred cartridge to an original position;
• a cartridge data reading device disposed on the cartridge transfer device to selectively and contactlessly read data retained in each memory chip of the cartridges stored in the cartridge storage part;
• and
• a controller provided to the housing to control the magnetic tape drive and the cartridge transfer device so that a cartridge requiring rewriting is found based on the data read by the cartridge data reading device, and that a magnetic tape of the found cartridge is rewound;
• wherein each memory chip of the cartridges retains a rewinding history of the corresponding cartridge;
• wherein the cartridge storage part stores the cartridges aligned in the left-right direction on a base plate;
• wherein the cartridge transfer device comprises
• a slide frame directed in the front-rear direction and provided in the housing so as to move in the left-right direction above or below the cartridges stored in the cartridge storage part,
• a left-right moving device moving the slide frame in the left-right direction,
• a slider mounted on the slide frame so as to move in the front-rear direction,
• a front-rear moving device moving the slider in the front-rear direction along the slide frame,
• an engaging member disposed on the slider and selectively engaging with/disengaging from a concavity formed on the top face of each of the cartridges stored in the cartridge storage part,
• an engaging/disengaging driving device moving the engaging member between an engaged position at which the engaging member engages with the concavity of each of the cartridge and an disengaged position at which the engaging member disengages from the concavity, and
• a moving receiving member integrally formed with the slide frame so as to be positioned behind the base plate, and receiving a cartridge moved to behind the base plate by engaging the engaging member with the concavity;
• and wherein the cartridge data reading device on the slide frame is disposed at a position facing to a memory chip of the cartridges stored in the cartridge storage part.