Rotary magazine tape storage system

A rack assembly for use with a plurality of cartridges and one or more tape drives, the rack assembly comprising:

• a housing base that supports a first tape drive and a second tape drive;
• a cartridge magazine that is rotatably coupled to the housing base, the cartridge magazine including a tape cavity for housing one or more of the cartridges, the cartridge magazine rotating about an axis of rotation;
• a first transport assembly that is secured to the housing base, the first transport assembly including a first mover means for pushing one of the cartridges from the cartridge magazine into the first tape drive without the first transport assembly rotating relative to the housing base;
• and
• a second transport assembly, the second transport assembly including a second mover means for pushing one of the cartridges from the cartridge magazine into the second tape drive.

A rack assembly for use with a plurality of cartridges one or more tape drives, the rack assembly comprising:

• a housing base that supports a first tape drive;
• a cartridge magazine that is rotatably coupled to the housing base, the cartridge magazine rotating about an axis of rotation, the cartridge magazine including a tape cavity for selectively retaining one of the cartridges;
• a first gripper assembly that engages one of the cartridges;
• and
• a first mover that moves the first gripper assembly in a substantially linear direction between the axis of rotation and the first tape drive, the first mover being positioned substantially between the cartridge magazine and the housing base.

A rack assembly for use with a first tape drive, a second tape drive, a first cartridge and a second cartridge, the rack assembly comprising:

• a housing base;
• a cartridge magazine that is rotatably coupled to the housing base, the cartridge magazine including a plurality of tape cavities for selectively retaining at least one of the cartridges;
• a first transport assembly including a first mover means for pushing the first cartridge from the cartridge magazine toward the first tape drive;
• and
• a second transport assembly including a second mover means for pushing the second cartridge from the cartridge magazine toward the second tape drive.

A rack assembly for use with a plurality of cartridges and one or more tape drives, the rack assembly comprising:

• a housing base that supports a first tape drive;
• a cartridge magazine that is rotatably coupled to the housing base, the cartridge magazine including a tape cavity for housing one or more of the cartridges, the cartridge magazine rotating about an axis of rotation;
• a first transport assembly that is secured to the housing base, the first transport assembly including a gripper assembly that engages one of the cartridges, the first transport assembly being positioned to move one of the cartridges between the cartridge magazine and the first tape drive without the first transport assembly rotating relative to the housing base;
• and
• a mover that moves the gripper assembly substantially linearly between the axis of rotation and the first tape drive, the mover being positioned substantially between the cartridge magazine and the housing base.

A rack assembly for use with a plurality of cartridges one or more tape drives including a first tape drive, the rack assembly comprising:

• a housing base that supports the first tape drive;
• a cartridge magazine that is rotatably coupled to the housing base, the cartridge magazine rotating about an axis of rotation, the cartridge magazine selectively retaining one or more of the cartridges;
• and
• a first transport assembly that moves one of the cartridges between the cartridge magazine and the first tape drive, the first transport assembly including (i) a gripper assembly that engages one of the cartridges, the gripper assembly including a cartridge gripper and a carriage that movably supports the cartridge gripper, and (ii) a mover that moves the gripper assembly substantially linearly substantially between the axis of rotation and the first tape drive, the mover being positioned substantially between the cartridge magazine and the housing base.

A rack assembly for use with one or more tape drives and a plurality of cartridges, the rack assembly comprising:

• a housing base that supports a second tape drive;
• a cartridge magazine that is rotatably coupled to the housing base, the cartridge magazine including a plurality of tape cavities for housing at least one of the cartridges;
• a first transport assembly that is fixedly aligned with a first tape drive, the first transport assembly including a first mover means for transporting one of the cartridges between the cartridge magazine and the first tape drive;
• and
• a second transport assembly including a second mover means for pushing one of the cartridges from the cartridge magazine into the second tape drive.

A rack assembly for use with one or more tape drives and a plurality of cartridges, the rack assembly comprising:

• a housing base;
• a cartridge magazine that is rotatably coupled to the housing base, the cartridge magazine rotating about an axis of rotation that is substantially orthogonal to the housing base, the cartridge magazine including a plurality of tape cavities for housing at least one of the cartridges;
• and
• a first transport assembly that is fixedly aligned with a first tape drive, the first transport assembly transporting one of the cartridges from the cartridge magazine toward the first tape drive, the first transport assembly including a first mover and a first cartridge gripper, the first mover moving the first cartridge gripper substantially linearly between the axis of rotation and the first tape drive, the first mover being positioned substantially between the cartridge magazine and the housing base.