Automated precision cassette handling system

A cassette handling system, comprising:

• at least two ports in which a cassette is receivable, one of said ports being occupied by the cassette, one of said ports being vacant;
• a movable carrier assembly for transporting the cassette from said occupied port to said vacant port, said carrier assembly including an engaging assembly for extracting the cassette from said occupied port and inserting the cassette into said vacant port;
• a reference mechanical structure defining a reference position from which the cassette is insertable into said vacant port, said reference mechanical structure being fixed to said movable carrier assembly;
• said engaging assembly repositioning the cassette to said reference position defined by said reference mechanical structure prior to inserting the cassette into said vacant port;
• said reference mechanical structure being a reference platen formed on said carrier assembly, and said engaging assembly comprising a pair of couplers;
• said couplers engaging the cassette prior to said engaging assembly extracting the cassette from said occupied port;
• said couplers disengaging the cassette onto said reference platen and re-engaging the cassette on said reference platen in said reference position prior to said engaging assembly inserting the cassette into said vacant port;
• said engaging means further comprising a solenoid with an inner plunger positioned between said couplers;
• and
• said solenoid being actuatable to urge said couplers apart to disengage the cassette.

A cassette handling system, comprising:

• at least two ports in which a cassette is receivable, one of said ports being occupied by the cassette, one of said ports being vacant;
• a movable carrier assembly for transporting the cassette from said occupied port to said vacant port, said carrier assembly including an engaging assembly for extracting the cassette from said occupied port and inserting the cassette into said vacant port;
• a reference mechanical structure defining a reference position from which the cassette is insertable into said vacant port, said reference mechanical structure being fixed to said movable carrier assembly;
• said engaging assembly repositioning the cassette to said reference position defined by said reference mechanical structure prior to inserting the cassette into said vacant port;
• said carrier assembly further including a threaded shaft and a rotatable drive collar, said shaft having two ends rotably engaged with a support structure of said cassette handling system;
• and
• said shaft receiving said drive collar thereon, said drive collar rotating about said shaft to move said carrier assembly between said ports.

An automated precision cassette handling system, comprising:

• a plurality of storage units for storing a plurality of cassettes;
• a plurality of tape drive units for reading data from or writing data to the cassettes;
• a cassette carrier assembly for transporting one of the cassettes from one said unit to another said unit, said carrier assembly including mechanical couplers for engaging the cassette, a solenoid with an inner plunger for operating said couplers, and a driving assembly for moving said couplers to extract the cassette from one said unit and to insert the cassette into another of said units;
• said carrier assembly having a drive collar mounted on a threaded shaft, said drive collar rotating about said shaft to displace said carrier assembly vertically, said shaft having axial tension applied thereto by compression springs so that a resonant frequency thereof is greater than a frequency at which said drive collar rotates about said shaft;
• a reference platen positioned on said carrier assembly, said reference platen defining a position from which the cassette is insertable into said units;
• and
• a control unit for actuating said driving assembly to extract and to insert the cassette, and for actuating said solenoid to operate said couplers to disengage one of the cassette being transported onto said reference platen and to re-engage the cassette while the cassette is positioned on said reference platen prior to inserting the cassette into one of said units;
• whereby positioning the cassette on said reference platen and increasing the axial tension on said shaft improves the overall reliability of said cassette handling system.

A carrier assembly for moving a cassette in a cassette handling system including a plurality of cassettes and at least one tape drive unit and a plurality of storage units, an occupied unit being defined as either a tape drive unit or a storage unit in which a cassette is received, a vacant unit being defined as either a tape drive unit or a storage unit in which a cassette is not received, said carrier assembly comprising:

• (a) a reference platen for defining a reference position from which a cassette is insertable into the tape drive unit/units and the storage units;
• (b) an engaging assembly for extracting a cassette from an occupied unit, for placing said cassette in said reference position on said reference platen, and for inserting said cassette into a vacant unit from said reference position, said engaging assembly including a pair of couplers;
• and
• (c) a driving assembly for translating said engaging assembly from an extracting position at which said cassette is extracted from said occupied unit, to a transporting position at which said cassette is placed on said reference platen and transported to said vacant unit, and to an inserting position at which said cassette is inserted into said vacant unit;
• said pair of couplers for engaging said cassette in said occupied unit when said engaging assembly is in said extracting position;
• said pair of couplers for releasing said cassette onto said reference plate and for engaging said cassette in said reference position when said engaging assembly is in said transporting position;
• said pair of couplers for releasing said cassette in said vacant unit when said engaging assembly is in said inserting position;
• and
• said reference platen being fixed relative to said engaging assembly.