Magnetic tape drive with integral multiple-cassette removable magazine

A tape drive and multiple-cassette storage system comprising

• a housing,
• a tape drive unit in said housing having a cassette entrance position,
• a removable magazine in said housing including
• a plurality of tape cassettes,
• a first deck supporting a plurality of said cassettes in a first plane and having a designated cassette pick-up position,
• a second deck supporting a plurality of said cassettes in a second plane displaced from and parallel with said first plane,
• first reciprocating drive means for moving said cassettes in said first deck in a first direction,
• second reciprocating drive means for moving said cassettes in said second deck simultaneously in the opposite direction from the movement of said cassettes in said first deck,
• first deck transfer means for transferring a cassette directly from said first deck to a first designated position in said second deck, and
• second deck transfer means for transferring a cassette from said second deck directly to a second designated position in said first deck, whereby said cassettes are caused to follow a rectangular path and successively occupy said pick-up position, and
• means for transferring a cassette from said pick-up position to said entrance position.

In a system for storing tape cassettes in a magazine and automatically removing them from and placing them in an entrance position to a tape drive, a cassette storage and transfer mechanism comprising

• a first deck supporting a plurality of cassettes in a first plane and having a designated pick-up position,
• a second deck supporting a plurality of decks in a second plane displaced from and parallel with said first plane,
• first reciprocating motor drive means for moving said cassettes along said decks and transferring said cassettes between said decks
• a rigid control member having first, second and third triangularly spaced connecting points,
• second reciprocating motor drive means for moving said rigid control member angularly about said third connecting point and for moving said third connecting point linearly in a plane parallel with said decks,
• means rotatably connecting said reciprocating drive means to said control member at said first connecting point,
• a gripper mechanism for clamping one of said cassettes,
• means for guiding said gripper mechanism along a first path generally perpendicular to the plane of said decks and a second path generally parallel with the plane of said decks,
• means rotatably connecting said control member and said gripper mechanism at said second connecting point, said last-said means providing limited linear movement along an axis between said second and third connecting points between said control member and said gripper mechanism, and
• means connected to said third connection point for moving said control member along a path parallel with the plane of said decks, whereby said gripper mechanism is caused to move from a first position to a second position for placing a cassette into or removing it from said entrance position.

In a system for storing tape cassettes and automatically removing them from and replacing them in a magazine, a cassette storage and transfer mechanism comprising

• a linear cassette storage deck in said magazine positioned in a first plane supporting a plurality of tape cassettes, and having a designated pick-up position,
• means for successively positioning said cassettes in said pick-up position,
• a cassette gripper mechanism having a flexible gripping member having open and closed positions for gripping a cassette to be transferred,
• a horizontally extending rotatable actuating member operatively coupled to said gripping member,
• a cam arm secured to said actuating member and extending in a second plane generally perpendicular to said first plane,
• a control member having a cam surface extending in a direction parallel with said second plane,
• first motor drive means for transporting said gripper mechanism in a direction generally parallel with said second plane while said cam arm slidably engages said cam surface for removing a cassette from or replacing it in said pick-up position, and
• second motor drive means for moving said control member in a direction generally paralled with said first plane thereby to close said gripping member at any position of said gripping mechanism.

A cassette storage magazine including

• first and second linear decks each containing a plurality of cassettes in side-by-side relation, said decks being positioned in parallel displaced planes,
• reciprocating drive means for moving said cassettes of said first deck laterally in a first direction and simultaneously moving said cassettes of said second deck in a second direction,
• means for locking said cassettes of said first deck in position and preventing movement thereof in a direction opposite from said first direction, and
• means actuated by said reciprocating drive means for transferring a cassette from a predetermined position in said first deck to a predetermined position in said second deck.

The method of storing tape cassettes and selectively positioning them in a predetermined position for transfer to and from an external device comprising the steps of

• providing a plurality of tape cassettes,
• providing a first linear cassette deck lying in a first plane and having a designated pick-up position,
• providing a second linear cassette deck lying in a second plane displaced from and parallel with said first plane,
• arranging part of said cassettes in side-by-side relation in said first deck,
• arranging the remainder of said cassettes in side-by-side relation in said second deck,
• moving said cassettes repetitively along a rectangular path encompassing said first and second decks whereby said cassettes are moved at a first location from said first to said second deck and at a second location from said second to said first deck and placed successively in said pick-up position,
• removing one of said cassettes from said pick-up position and transferring it to said external device, and
• subsequently returning said cassette from said external device directly to said pick-up position.